A/C running wild

[Caprock Rider]

Hope someone here can point me in the right direction. My problem is with a 2002 Edge. When I turn on anything in the heater control panel, my A/C wants to run. In other words, if I turn on the heater or defroster, the A/C compressor is cycling on and off also. Any tips as to what to look for. Thanks for reading about my problem.

 

[RonD]

That is normal

In 2002, and most year Rangers, OFF and VENT are the only two selections that will not activate AC Compressor
(not a Ford thing, all vehicles with AC do this)

AC is not just used to cool air inside the cab, it is used to DRY the air going into the cab, it helps prevent musty smells and helps Defrost work better in winter months
AC is a Dehumidifier, its why all AC units drip water out, car or home

AC can only cool air down to about 38degF(at evaporator)
Heater can heat up air to 190degF(coolant operating temp)
So HEAT can defeat even the coldest temp coming from AC

You can pull out the AC Clutch relay or unplug the 2 wire connector on the Compressor's clutch, but its not really hurting anything for it to run year round and actually better to dry the cab in winter when you get in with wet cloths and shoes

 

[Caprock Rider]

Thanks for the information Ron, and for your reply. Because I live in a fairly dry climate, think I'll come up with a manual override.

To give you an idea of the climate here I'll tell you about this past July. We had a total of 5/100's of an inch of rain for the month. Believe that is 1.27mm.
But it took 4 rain events to get that much. Normal humidity level is between 15 to 30% and quite often dipping to single digits.

I understand the advantages of the A/C running most of the time. It gets humid here sometimes.
Thanks again Ron.

 

[RonD]

Just turn control to VENT

Humans exhale 0.35 Liters of water every day, so always hold your breath while driving to cut down on the humidity in the cab

 

[Caprock Rider]

Good answer! I like that.
That must be why my glasses would fog up wearing one of those Covid mask.